According to the World Business Council on Sustainable Development, the three “pillars” of sustainable development are economic growth, ecological balance and social progress, and one cannot have any one without the others.
Large-scale agricultural operations bear upon economic growth, ecological balance and social progress. In particular, crop planting, harvesting and maintenance operations continue to grow in scale with regard to both equipment size and tonnage of materials handled. The need exists for reliable pavement surfaces which will accommodate efficient movement of heavy loads between farm and market; however, the life cycle cost of “high type” pavement prohibits investment in areas which see the majority of their utilization within a few weeks per year—utilized during times of planting and harvesting.
Increased use of “high type” pavement in developed countries may be regarded as a long-term operational burden for governments, as maintenance costs associated with “high type” pavement require significant sources of ongoing funding. Conversion of existing secondary or farm to market roads into “high type” pavements may be properly regarded as suitable only if specific objectives may be attained—increased utilization, safety, etc.
There is accordingly a long-felt need for a durable material which will support efficient transfer of heavy loads while being significantly more economical in terms of both initial construction costs and long term maintenance costs when compared with existing “high type” pavements. There is a long-felt need for erosion mitigation in sections of farm to market and secondary roads which are most susceptible to washout and other erosive processes and events. There is also a long-felt need to for a paving material adaptable in terms of total cost to various long term road performance specifications. Additionally, there is a long-felt need for an environmentally favorable pavement material useful for mitigating erosion of embankments, shorelines, river banks and the like and accordingly providing a suitable, cost effective, sustainable building type alternative to use of traditional pavement materials, whether they be rigid (concrete) or elastic (asphalt).